Politics

Boris Johnson’s defence against claims he lied to parliament about whether he knew about Downing Street lockdown parties could be published today. The former prime minister’s case was submitted to the privileges committee by barrister Lord Pannick KC, and allies believe his position – that he was unaware any gatherings broke the rules – will

A government source has confirmed to Sky News its new Illegal Migration Bill would “seal off all the loopholes” and that UK officials are “certainly working towards getting the flights off by summer”. It comes as the home secretary signed an update to the government’s migrants agreement with Rwanda, expanding its scope to “all categories

The government “doesn’t relish” deporting migrants to Rwanda but is being “forced” to pursue the controversial policy because of the rise in Channel crossings, a cabinet minister has claimed. Oliver Dowden was asked by Sky’s Sophy Ridge on Sunday if he is “comfortable” with the idea of sending children and families to the east African

The chief executive of the Scottish National Party has resigned with immediate effect in the face of a no confidence vote. Peter Murrell, who is married to Nicola Sturgeon, said his future had become “a distraction” from the current contest to replace his wife as SNP leader and first minister following a damaging secrecy row.

The home secretary is set to travel to Rwanda this weekend as the government’s deal to send asylum seekers to the country remains mired in legal challenges. It is 11 months since the UK agreed the deal, which would see people who claimed asylum in Britain deported to the central African nation to have their

Teacher strikes will be paused for two weeks while education unions and the government hold “intensive” talks over pay, workload and conditions. Education Secretary Gillian Keegan will meet with representatives today – with discussions to continue over the weekend until Sunday. The National Education Union (NEU), National Association of Headteachers (NAHT), NASUWT The Teachers’ Union,

Boris Johnson has been re-selected to run as the Conservative candidate in Uxbridge and South Ruislip for the next general election. The former prime minister and current MP will again contest the northwest London seat, which he first won in 2015, in the next election that is due to be held no later than January

TikTok will be banned from UK government phones amid security concerns around the Chinese-owned video app, Cabinet Office minister Oliver Dowden has announced. In a statement to parliament, Mr Dowden said there “could” be a risk to how government data and information is used by the app. He said that while TikTok use is “limited”,

Labour has said it will oppose plans to abolish the lifetime pensions allowance, calling it a “tax cut for the rich”. Shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves said the party will force a vote on the policy next week, predicting it could “unravel as quickly as it began”. Ms Reeves compared it to Liz Truss’s doomed attempt

The chancellor will promise to provide 30 hours of childcare a week to parents of one and two-year-olds, Sky News has learned. The multi-billion pound announcement is set to be made in today’s “back to work” budget. Families with children aged one and two do not currently receive support after parental leave ends and before

After the debacle of Liz Truss’s September mini-budget, with all its mega ramifications, and an autumn statement eight weeks later that performed an about-turn so big that the country’s tax burden hit a 70-year-high, Wednesday’s budget will be all about stability and sticking to the plan. “No big bangs in this budget,” is how one

Boris Johnson will be questioned by MPs next Wednesday as part of the partygate investigation into whether he misled parliament when he was prime minister. Mr Johnson has accepted the Privileges Committee’s invitation to give oral evidence to them from 2pm on 22 March, the committee said. The session will be held in public and

The UK, US and Australia will work together “keeping our oceans free” with a new generation of nuclear-powered attack submarines, Rishi Sunak has said. Mr Sunak met US President Joe Biden and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in San Diego to announce the next stage of the Aukus partnership plan. The plan will deliver nuclear-powered

Support for Scottish independence has continued to slide in the country, according to an exclusive YouGov poll for Sky News, with just 39% now backing an exit from the UK compared to 47% who want to remain part of the union. The gap is smaller when those who answered “don’t know” are excluded from the

Rishi Sunak has declined to offer his backing to the chairman of the BBC and stressed his appointment was made by his predecessor Boris Johnson. Richard Sharp has been dragged into the BBC row over Gary Lineker because of his close ties to government and the role he played when Boris Johnson was considering taking

The budget will “break down the barriers” to getting people back into work in the face of more than a million vacancies and a sluggish economy, the chancellor has told Sky News. With more than half a million people having disappeared from the UK workforce since the outbreak of COVID-19, tackling economic inactivity will be

Households on prepayment meters will no longer pay more for their energy than those on direct debits, the chancellor is expected to announce this week. The “prepayment meter penalty” will end in July, saving more than four million households around £45 a year at a cost of £200m. It will be managed through changes to

The first UK-France summit in five years has concluded, resulting in “unprecedented measures” to tackle illegal migration, as well as joint pledges on Ukraine and energy security. Rishi Sunak and Emmanuel Macron have given the clearest demonstration yet of what has become dubbed “Le Bromance”, as the pair sought to draw a line under post-Brexit

Britain will payout £480m over the next three years in a deal struck between Rishi Sunak and Emmanuel Macron to tackle small boat Channel crossings, with measures including funding for a new detention centre in France. The fresh package agreed between the prime minister and the French president to deal with the migrant crisis will

Rishi Sunak has arrived in Paris to open a “new chapter” in UK-French relations as he resets ties with President Emmanuel Macron after five rocky years. The prime minister is visiting the Elysee Palace for talks with “Emmanuel” about stopping small boats crossing the Channel, Ukraine, China and greater military cooperation. Mr Sunak and the